Santorum Hammers Romney Over Pro-Life Pledge; Trails Him in PA Poll

By Chris Bowman, Staff Writer

As the GOP candidates continue the race for their party’s nomination, former Senator Rick Santorum recentlyreleased a statementcriticizing Republican front-runner Mitt Romney for not signing the pro-lifeSusan B. Anthony pledge.

Santorum said he was “stunned” by Romney’s abstaining from signing the pledge, explaining that “this past Monday night at the Republican Presidential Debate, I was asked about Governor Romney’s pro-life conversion, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I apparently spoke too soon. It is incredibly disappointing that Governor Romney chose not to defend those who cannot defend themselves.”

Romney responded in this this op-ed to the National Review, explaining that he is “pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother” but objects to the pledge because, though it is “well-meaning,” it is also “overly broad and would have unintended consequences.”

His stance is enough for some conservatives.

“Mitt Romney’s #prolife pledge is fantastic. His position is unquestionably in agreement with the #prolife mvmt. I trust him on abortion,” tweeted Harrisburg-based pro-life blogger Andrew Bair.

Santorum’s team reportedly sought clarification from SAB regarding the language and learned that the funding language applied only to abortion providers and not other entities or affiliated entities. This was not forwarded to all the campaigns, and the SAB did not appear to reissue the pledge with the new understanding.

As the candidates spar over one of Santorum’s staple issues (and one over which he has repeatedly criticized Obama), it comes as little surprise that the former Senator should take aim at Romney. The reported front runner leadsnationalpolls as well as a recentQuinnipiac poll of Pennsylvania Republicans. It found that Romney leads the GOP field in PA, 21 percent to Santorum’s 16 (followed by Palin at 11 percent, and the remainder of the field each below 8 percent).

In the same poll, Romney performed more competitively against President Obama – trailing 7 percent compared to Santorum’s 11.

Santorum says he is not worried with his poor numbers, and is focused on the three earliest-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

Romney’s Pro-Life Pledge Mitt Romney follows up his rejection of the Susan B. Anthony List’s pro-life pledge with a vow of his own: I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, because it is bad law and bad medicine. Roe was a misguided ruling that was a result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the bench. I support the Hyde Amendment, which broadly bars the use of federal funds for abortions. And as president, I will support efforts to prohibit federal funding for any organization like Planned Parenthood, which primarily performs abortions or offers abortion-related services. I will reinstate the Mexico City Policy to ensure that non-governmental organizations that receive funding from America refrain from performing or promoting abortion services, as a method of family planning, in other countries. This includes ending American funding for any United Nations or other foreign assistance program that promotes or performs abortions on women around the world. I will advocate for and support a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion. And perhaps most importantly, I will only appoint judges who adhere to the Constitution and the laws as they are written, not as they want them to be written. As much as I share the goals of the Susan B. Anthony List, its well-meaning pledge is overly broad and would have unintended consequences. That is why I could not sign it. It is one thing to end federal funding for an organization like Planned Parenthood; it is entirely another to end all federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America. That is precisely what the pledge would demand and require of a president who signed it. The pledge also unduly burdens a president’s ability to appoint the most qualified individuals to a broad array of key positions in the federal government. I would expect every one of my appointees to carry out my policies on abortion and every other issue, irrespective of their personal views. If I have the opportunity to serve as our nation’s next president, I commit to doing everything in my power to cultivate, promote, and support a culture of life in America.

The SBA pledge was political bait for Mitt; he didn’t take it. Mitt showed the courage of his convictions by not pandering to an ideological group. His own pledge follows the constitution. Theirs has the potential to trample the constitution.